Texans lose despite a heroic effort from Deshaun Watson
The good, bad and ugly from the Texans loss to the Eagles
Dec 23, 2018, 3:43 pm
DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans were oh, so close. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
The Texans fought through a determined Eagles team to secure the AFC South Division crown, but fell short in a 32-30 loss to the defending champion Eagles in Philly. Here's how I saw it:
The Good
- Deshaun Watson lived up to ALL the hype in this game! He put the team on his back and tried to will them to victory. Sure he messed up a few times, but he also accounted for all four touchdowns. His second touchdown pass helped put them up 30-29 with two minutes left.
- Jadaveon Clowney came up with a huge strip sack and fumble recovery that led to Watson's early go ahead touchdown run in the second quarter. He beat the backup left tackle on a speed rush, and then hit Foles right on the arm to strip him. As he wrapped him up and slung him to the ground, he found the ball and recovered it.
-Benardrick McKinney is trying to live up to his $50 million dollar extension and recent Pro Bowl selection with his performance. He made two athletic plays: a pass breakup in the end zone and a juggling interception.
The Bad
-Dylan Cole misplayed a wheel route on 4th down and Justin Reid missed a tackle that allowed Darren Sproles to score a 37-yard touchdown. The communication seemed slightly off before the snap which is why I believe Cole misplayed it, but I don't know why Reid didn't bring Sproles down instead of trying to strip the ball.
-Tyrann Mathieu was burned for an 83-yard touchdown by Nelson Ahgolor. He was beaten deep, recovered, but failed to knock the ball away. When he stumbled in attempt to bat away the pass, Ahgolor made a house call.
-The Eagles passing attack made the Texans secondary look like the one playing with a bunch of backups. Foles went 35 of 49 for 471 yards and four touchdowns. He hit his tight end Zach Ertz for 11 catches with 90 yards and two of those four touchdowns.
The Ugly
-More brain farts in scoring range stalled the second drive of the game and helped seal their fate in the fourth quarter. Watson took an unnecessary sack on both drives. One ended with a field goal, the latter ended in an Eagles recovered fumble. This is getting old and I'm tired of writing it every damn game!
-Kareem Jackson went down with a knee injury and Jonathan Joseph went down with a neck injury. But when receiver Demaryius Thomas went down and was carted off, it was heartbreaking. The other guys may be back at some point, but Thomas appears to be done for the season.
-Refs missed a facemask on two point conversion by Clowney. He clearly grabbed Nick Foles' facemask. Eagles' defensive end Brandon Graham got called for a horrible roughing penalty against Watson. But the call on Clowney with 1:38 left was the worst! Had he not lowered his helmet, they would've flagged him for helmet to helmet. Refs have an impossible job, but they still suck balls at doing it.
The Texans came into this game with an opportunity to secure the division crown. They ran into a more desperate team that needed this win more than they did. They now need the Patriots to lose next week in order to get the two seed.Most Popular
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C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”
'Everything is on the table. We have to get it fixed' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on offensive line and if personnel changes are being contemplated @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/AwK0rqeU2z
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.
They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.
Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.
Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.
“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”
Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.
'I have all the faith in Tank' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence in Tank Dell ability to get back to making explosive plays again as he did as a rookie @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/bojBEx3lYo
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
What's working
The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.
Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.
What needs help
The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.
Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.
Stock up
RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.
Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.
“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”
Stock down
Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.
Injuries
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.
Key number
3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.
Next steps
The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.